Devil amongst Demons
by PlateDrachen
Summary: Dante had always had an appreciation for the classics. You know, the hero swoops in, slays the dragon, and beds the princess. His story's princess wasn't exactly a damsel in distress, and he wasn't a hero, but hey, at least there were dragons, right? After all, he became a mercenary for the action, and that was something his new job promised in spades.
1. Home, sweet home

Welcome to the rewrite. Still not for the faint of heart.

* * *

"Home, sweet home."

Jaune Arc's home life wasn't the greatest.

Being an Arc, it seemed everyone expected him to be a warrior, which would have been fine. _If_ the style his parents were forcing him to learn wasn't sword-and-board.

It didn't help that his most of his sisters were already successful huntsmen, or well on their way. It _also_ didn't help that his parents didn't even know _why_ he wasn't capable of learning the Arc family sword-and-being-bored style (because really, what cool monster slayer uses a shield? Come on, people, get it together). It surely didn't help that he was the only male child in his family.

It didn't help that he really just wanted to go off and do his own thing.

Seriously, he actually _liked_ the Grimm, or liked their appearance at least.

As a six year old, he didn't really get all the noise about the Grimm. Didn't really care either. Becoming a huntsmen sounded cool, but _way_ too serious for his liking.

He'd really rather be something that was still cool, but more suited to him, and the lifestyle he wanted to lead.

He wanted to be a wandering hero.

After all, what could be better? He could help people out, get into cool fights, _and_ explore the world! A winning combo, as far as Jaune was concerned.

So he had a little(lot) of wanderlust. Could you blame him? His parents kept him on a fairly tight leash, probably because they knew he'd be off doing his own thing the moment they let him.

What really sucked about his parents' training was their _strictness_. They refused to let him learn anything _but_ the Arc sword-and-turtle style. Seriously, what was with that? It was _way_ too rigid for him. At least their exercises helped him put on muscle, which was always good. No matter how much he complained, though, they would always say that the Arc sword-and-does-he-even-have-to-say-it?-shield style was right for his _build_ , whatever that meant. Even his sisters were allowed to learn other styles, and ones of their own choosing too! _So_ not fair. How come he was the only one they forced to learn the Arc sword-and-door style? **_(1)_**

Young Jaune Arc contemplated all of this and more, strolling through the woods behind his house. The Grimm usually left him alone, for one reason or another, which meant it was a perfect thinking spot for him, and no one else. His family, of course, had probably noticed his 'disappearing' (he walked out the front door) act already, and were probably running around like chickens with their heads chopped off.

 _I wonder if there is any pizza still left in the fridge . . ._

As Jaune pondered this, he was unaware of someone else in his special place. Someone looking for him, specifically.

Someone who proceeded to apply their hand to the back of Jaune's neck with extreme prejudice, knocking him unconscious.

* * *

Jaune was rather confused to find himself locked in a cell upon awaking. He admittedly had a bad habit of falling asleep wherever, but still, even for him, this was a little much.

That confusion was only doubled by the man standing in the middle of the cell.

Then the man began speaking.

"From today onwards, you are to be known only as Dante. Your partner here at Devil May Cry shall be Vergil." The man said, gesturing to a black-haired boy on the other side of the cell.

Even as the realization flashed across Jaune's face, the man continued his tirade.

"Welcome to your new home."

* * *

Jaune didn't take to his new name well. After all, he was Jaune, always would be.

He did think Dante was a pretty cool name, though. Vergil, his partner, disagreed, but he was a disagreeable fellow.

"C'mon Vergil, cheer up. If you keep pouting like that, they'll probably make us do even _more_ exercising, and trust me, neither of us want that." Jaune said.

Vergil just snorted.

"Would that truly be so bad? The more strength we gather, the greater our chances of escaping." Vergil once again disagreed. See, he really was just a disagreeable guy.

"One step at a time, Vergil. One step at a time." Jaune deflected.

Suffice to say, he and Vergil got along famously.

"Is it really that hard to cheer up for your own brother, Vergil?" He said, placing a hand on his shoulder.

After all, Jaune finally knew what it was like to have a brother.

"Hnn." He disagreed, shaking his shoulder to remove Jaune's hand.

. . . and it was totally overrated.

Here, Jaune released a sigh.

In the two weeks since he had been captured, he had found himself sighing a lot. At least, a lot compared to his usual.

He blamed it on Vergil. Vergil was difficult like that.

"C'mon Vergil, it's not that bad. All they've done so far is train us, and that means when the bad stuff finally hits, we'll be prepared, right?"

". . .True enough, I suppose." He conceded.

* * *

"Why did I ever believe you?" Asked Vergil, deflecting yet another training rod, before using his own to quickly break both of his opponent's arms.

"I'm a believable guy." Jaune replied, breaking yet _another_ knee. Honestly, it had stopped being interesting after the first three times he'd done it. Now, it was just getting gross.

But seriously, how was he supposed to know that they'd pit them against their fellow prisoners? He wasn't psychic.

Though, all things considered, it could be worse. After all, at least he was finally getting some use out of all the training his parents had put him through, right?

"A brute as always, brother." Vergil noted.

Dante, who was simply using his hands and feet, made sure to break his opponents leg before replying.

"Me? A brute? You must have me confused with somebody else. I'm just classy." He defended.

A sigh escaped Vergil. Again.

"Whatever works, brother. Whatever works." Vergil decided to just let him have this one. It wasn't worth arguing over.

A moment of silence passed as yet more prisoners were brought in to face them.

"Hey, at least we get some actual combat experience this way, right?" Jaune pointed out/asked.

And for once, Vergil actually outright agreed.

"That we do, brother. That, we do."

* * *

(1) As the only male heir and only one among his siblings, and one who _hasn't_ learned a style of his own yet, his parents _really_ want to make sure he carries on the family tradition started by his late ancestor.


	2. Ebony and Ivory

Rewriting makes me want to cry.

* * *

"Ebony and Ivory"

The man standing before him was really doing his best to fit the part of the evil villain, if Jaune was being honest. Which he almost always was.

Tall, broad shouldered, with dark hair, dark skin, dark eyes, and a cloak led to a fairly intimidating appearance. Or it what would have been intimidating, if Jaune hadn't already met some actually intimidating people (his parents), and the guy didn't have the face of the ugliest troll alive.

He was also really loud. Not at all like Jaune was, no siree.

"So you two are the brats I'll be overseeing, huh?" Mr. Wanna-be-Evil intoned.

For once in his life, Jaune was speechless.

"Overseeing? Who thought an ugly troll like you doing something as social as overseeing something was a good idea? No offence." He said, raising his hands in surrender.

Said speechlessness lasted for about five seconds.

At first, their caretaker looked surprised. Then he laughed (even his voice was ugly, eugh).

Then he smacked Jaune straight into the floor.

"That mouth will get you killed, kid. I humbly recommend you get rid of it, before somebody does it for you. Now, how about we continue with the introductions, hmm?" Man, this guy really was a wanna-be evil villain.

Getting up from the floor, Jaune wiped the blood from his forehead. Never had he been so glad to have a thick skull.

"My staff affectionately refer to me as Dr. Mundus. These pistols-,"

Here, he gestured to the pistols at his belt. _I thought gunpowder guns were supposed to be extinct?_

"-are Ebony and Ivory. Chances are, they will be the only female contact you brats will get here, so be sure to treat them with respect."

 _Well,_ Dante supposed, _they_ are _beautiful_.

Mundus continued his speech, oblivious to Jaune's musing.

"Starting from today, you will have a very _rigid_ schedule. One which you adhere to at all times, _capiche?_ "

Seeing Vergil nod, Jaune decided to follow his brother's lead. He nodded.

The grin on Mundus' face didn't exactly fill him with confidence.

" _Good._ "

* * *

It had been a, uh, _hellish_ two years since then. Yeah, hellish was a good word for it.

Jaune and Vergil had been pushed to their limits, and beyond.

Jaune had lost count of how many times he had vomited, only to be forced to get up and keep on going. Vergil didn't have it much better.

They had experienced their first kills (something which they found themselves recovering from unusually quickly, desperate situations, he supposed), and had become quite fit.

Now, it was all coming to fruition.

"Today, you will see why we have been training you so thoroughly." Explained Mundus, as he led the two through the halls of Devil May Cry. Jaune couldn't help but find himself once again wondering if Devil May Cry wouldn't be a better title for a brothel, as opposed to whatever this place was.

Only yesterday they had received their very own weapons. Ones which, they were told, were bound to their very souls. In other words, they would be hard pressed to find someone else who could use them.

Dante, or Jaune, as he still steadfastly tried to consider himself, had received Rebellion. A very fitting name for a very _heavy metal_ sword. As in, rock band heavy metal. Swanky.

Vergil had received Yamato. A sword that, according to Jaune, had a very unoriginal name. (Seriously, who names a sword _Japan?_ ) Vergil, naturally, didn't care.

At this point, they stopped in front of a window. A window which looked into what looked to be some sort of . . . makeshift hospital room? Maybe?

The mysterious glowing red liquid contained in one of the bags hanging from an IV rack didn't exactly give them the brightest hopes.

"Ah, spotted the Demon's Liquor, have you?" Mundus stated, noticing where they were looking. "It's a very _grim_ mixture of Grimm essence, different types of blood, radioactive sludge, and a few secret spices. We have a betting pool on what effects we will be seeing today."

Jaune couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the terrible (grim and Grimm was a classic) pun. Vergil just gave both him and Mundus a look that stated they were both nuts. One which they both promptly ignored.

"The effects of the Liquor are almost totally random. Anything from activating ones aura to spontaneous combustion, in fact. The only thing we know for sure about it is that surviving it requires quite the strong body. Hence, the reason we have trained you for so long."

"So," Dante interrupted, "you're basically trying to turn us into superheroes."

Mundus gave him a rather blank look.

"More like super- _villains_ , but basically, yes."

Then they were both knocked out by the staff who had creeped up behind them.

As Jaune fell into unconsciousness, he couldn't help the thought that popped into his mind.

 _Why does this keep happening to me?_

* * *

Waking up after being knocked unconscious apparently took more than two times to get used to.

Something Jaune wasn't very happy about, to be frank.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a loudspeaker being primed.

Looking up, he saw the source. On the other side of the observation window they had been looking through earlier, he saw Mundus.

"Glad to see you two finally decided to wake up. It's not anywhere near as fun watching the effects of the liquor take place when the subjects are unconscious." Noted Mundus.

Not for the first time, Jaune wondered what god he had pissed off in a past life to get stuck with Mundus in this one.

"Feel free to begin the treatment, doctors."

Looking at his body, seeing that he was bound down quite well, he wasn't sure whether to be excited or nervous about the IV drip in his arm.

He promptly settled on nervous as he watched one of the staff members prepare to connect it to a bag containing the Demon's Liquor.

He watched on as it slowly went down the tube.

He watched as it finally entered IV drip.

A moment of silence.

Then he knew only _pain_.

He didn't know how long it went on, how long he screamed, how many terrible jokes he made while waiting for it to stop.

He just knew he was doing his best to count his little sheep.

Then it stopped.

Taking a deep breath, Jaune did his best to ignore the black creeping in on his vision.

"So, you both lived. How . . . unexpected." Stated Mundus from behind the window.

Dante flinched in surprise when a strand of his hair fell onto his face. He was even more surprised when he noticed that he could not only see each strand clearly, he saw it was _white._

Then he fainted.

* * *

Jaune found himself once again waking up somewhere other than where he fell unconscious. Something he was really starting to get tired of.

Taking stock of his situation, he was surprised to find he had Rebellion firmly in his grasp.

Getting up, he was surprised to Vergil doing the same across from him.

Vergil's hair had turned from its' original black to white as well.

Looking around, it looked like they were in some sort of arena.

"LADIES and GENTLEMAN! I present to you, the final round of Devil May Cry's testing!" Exclaimed Mundus from what looked to be a stand.

"Tonight, we watch these two who have come to consider each other brothers face off against one another for their right . . . to . . . SURVIVE!" Dante had to admit, Mundus really knew how to rile up a crowd, if the cheering was anything to go by.

Looking across from himself, he was surprised to see Vergil getting into a combat stance. _What is he doing?_

"Begin!" Mundus called.

Then Vergil _moved_.

If Dante hadn't been partnered with Vergil for the last two years, he would have died instantly. As it was, he barely manged to keep Vergil from chopping his head off by placing Rebellion in the path of Yamato.

"What the hell are you doing, Vergil!?" Dante asked, as he barely reflected yet another strike aimed at his neck. _When the hell did he get so fast?! Hell, when did_ I _get so fast?_

"What I need to do in order to survive, brother! I can't let _anything_ get in the way of my goals! Not even you!" Vergil yelled.

At this, Dante went quiet, focusing on blocking the strikes of the person he considered to be his brother.

A few got through, hitting his arms and legs, but for one reason or another, they healed almost instantly. They still hurt like a bitch, though he noted that the feeling was distant.

This went on for two more minutes before Mundus lost his patience.

"ENOUGH!" He called.

At this, chains sprouted from the ground, restraining them both.

"Take them to their cells. We'll continue this when they're actually ready to kill one another."

* * *

Jaune, for once in his life, felt truly down in the dumps.

Hell, he hadn't felt this bad even after his first kill, or when he had first been kidnapped.

"So this is the demon, huh?"

Looking up, Dante spotted what looked like two businessmen.

"What else could he be? He survived the _liquor_ , for Pete's sake!"

Once they saw him look up at them, they momentarily quieted.

". . . Let's go, Alex. I wish to return to our seats before the finales start."

"A good idea, friend."

At this, they both walked off, leaving Dante to his thoughts, to contemplate their words.

 _Me? A demon?_

He felt something pounding at his chest, aching to get out.

 _No._

He felt liquid fire, pouring through his veins. He could hear it sing, a siren's song if he had ever heard one.

 _I am a devil._

And so, he awoke his aura, and through it, his semblance.

 _A devil who hunts demons._

* * *

Jaune-or was it Dante?-didn't resist when they dragged him back into the arena. He had a bone to pick with Vergil.

More specifically, he had a date with the demon Vergil had become.

"You alright there, Vergil? You look kinda angry." He quipped.

The scowl on Vergil's face only deepened.

"Joking, at a time like this? Have you no decency?"

Jaune only smiled.

"What can I say, as your brother, I worry for you. After all, nobody can pick up chicks looking like someone just stomped on their nuts." He shot back, putting on his best expression of paternal worry.

Evidently, Vergil wasn't fooled.

The scowl on Vergil's face quickly turned to one of disgust.

That didn't stop Dante from continuing his speech, however.

"Especially not you. I mean, have you had a look in a mirror lately? You're only getting uglier, brother, and you're only eight. Imagine how ugly you'll be once you're old enough to care."

A vein began attempting to push it's way out of Vergil's forehead.

Before Jaune could completely destroy Vergil's pride, Mundus intervened.

"Begin!"

Vergil quickly used his semblance, Quicksilver, to stab Jaune through his stomach.

But then, sensing that something was wrong, he attempted to pull away. Before he could, however, Dante grabbed the hilt of Yamato, placing his hand over Vergil's.

Realizing that, for one reason or another, he couldn't activate Quicksilver, he attempted to use his sword to bisect Jaune.

"Jackpot."

Jaune beat him to it, however, sticking his hand right into Vergil's chest, and through it, his very _soul_.

A soul which he quickly consumed.

* * *

Memories.

Memories were what he saw.

Memories of a quiet house on the homestead.

Memories of a loving father and a loving mother.

Memories of the quiet, but happy little boy they raised.

Memories of the people who killed them, while the boy watched from a closet.

Memories of the promise he made to his dying father.

To become the strongest, strong enough to beat anyone.

No matter the cost.

Then, they came, and offered him power. He accepted.

* * *

Blinking, Dante backed away, and watched as Vergil fell.

He had seen his memories.

He had killed him. He had killed his brother. He had eaten his _soul_.

He felt sick.

"Congratulations, Dante. You survived." He heard Mundus say.

Sensing someone sneaking up on him, he simply swung Rebellion around him, beheading the staff member in question.

No way in hell was he gonna let them knock him out again.

"Woops, muscle spasms, you know how it is." He quipped, burying his guilt.

Burying his brother. Burying the boy he had been. The boy who had wanted to be a hero.

And then he moved.

A wild dash toward the exit, followed by a stab to the stomach of a staff member who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Followed by a slash he made to cut another person who had attempted to intercept him in half.

And a crash, as he simply used his momentum to act as a wrecking ball, completely crushing the bottom half of another would-be interceptor.

And just like that, three more had died before his might.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mundus attempting to use his semblance, his chains. Too bad for him the _hunger_ of Dante's semblance far outpaced the _power_ of Mundus.

Three more slashes, three more dead, and a leap that somebody had the unfortunate pleasure of being a springboard for. The way his skull caved under his foot said that he wasn't prepared.

A total of nine dead at his hands, ten if you counted his first kill.

He saw the light of the entrance, an entrance that was about to act as his exit.

His run turned into a _sprint_.

Only to have Mundus block his way.

* * *

More rewriting, yay.


	3. Freedom, the sweetest fruit

Here we are. Again.

* * *

"Freedom, the sweetest fruit."

"Let me guess, you were a linebacker in highschool football." _Blocking my exit. What an ass._

Only silence met his statement.

And a glare, but Dante ignored that.

"Geez, first Vergil, now you. Nobody appreciates my humor. I should just, run away, and join the circus. Oh, wait."

Mundus' glare only intensified. _Guess he doesn't appreciate my theatrics, either._

Then Mundus started to move. Out of instinct, Dante snapped his fingers.

And the world around him slowed to a crawl.

 _No wonder Vergil had been so fast. He had been cheating!_

Dante decided to take this opportunity to rip Yamato out of his stomach (the wound healed so well, it didn't even leave a scar), and, using Vergil's skills, attempted to chop him into little pieces.

Only for Yamato to bounce off of Mundus' chains.

 _Wrapped himself up nice and cozy like, eh? Gonna need a bigger sword._

Feeling a pull on Yamato from his Semblance, he let it have the sword.

It disappeared in a flash of red light. A red light that also signaled the end of Quicksilver's duration.

Mundus' eyes widened in surprise.

So Dante returned Rebellion to his main hand.

Before he could attempt to slash Mundus into little pieces, however, he felt his Semblance trying to connect with his body.

With a thought, he let it.

The explosion his Devil Trigger caused wiped out the base.

* * *

Dante found out the hard way that digging yourself out of an underground base was difficult.

Very difficult.

Well worth it, though.

As his left hand punched it's way through the dirt above his head (holding Ebony while his right held Ivory), he lifted himself out, and greeted the world.

"Ah, fresh air!" He cried.

Looking around, he saw something surprising.

It looked like the ground even as far as a few miles out had caved in.

 _I get the oddest feeling that Devil May Cry was trying to compensate for something . . ._

 _Oh well!_

He was free! Free as a bird! Free to pursue the tattered remnants of his dream!

But first, he should probably get out of here before someone tries to investigate.

* * *

Moving into a nearby forest, he was lucky enough to discover an abandoned campsite.

Pilfering the camp for supplies and clothes (his prisoner wear had basically fallen apart during the collapse), he was lucky enough to find a map.

One that told him he was a long way from his home on the island of Valt.

Smack-dab in the middle of Vale, actually.

 _Probably for the best. My family would probably attempt to make me learn that_ disgusting _style again. Eugh!_

So he thought of what jobs he could take up to keep him occupied.

Only to have his Semblance give him a poke, reminding him that he was only 8.

"God- _dammit!_ " He screamed his frustrations out to the world.

Somebody-or some _thing_ -responded. Namely, an Ursa Minor.

Which Dante promptly stabbed in the face with Rebellion.

Staring at the remains of the Ursa Minor sitting at the end of Rebellion.

"Hmm, now that's an idea. I'll stay here in the wilds for a few years, keeping my skills sharp, then I'll go out and be a find a job when I'm just a bit more grown up. It's perfect!"

His Semblance sent him a ping of agreement.

"Then it's settled. Let's get this party started!"

 _Suffice to say, this is one party that's gonna last all day and all night._

* * *

Eight years had passed since then. And Dante? He had made quite the name for himself.

After opening up his own shop (he'd make Devil May Cry a household name yet!), he did just about any work he could get his hands on, besides murdering innocents.

Though he had been known to crash a few innocent parties.

He'd grown up a fair amount, too. Only 16, and he was already six feet and three inches tall. Combine that with a muscular build, a pretty face framed by white hair that reached his chin, and an open high-collared blood-red coat with a form-fitting black thermal shirt underneath (for the professionalism, yo), black cargo pants, black combat boots, with the whole outfit rounded out by some nice black leather gloves, and he was just about the spitting image of a handsome (in his _ever_ so humble opinion) mercenary.

At first, he'd had trouble finding jobs (nobody wants a child soldier), but once he broke a few bones, people started lining up for his services.

Of which he offered quite the variety.

He'd kill and/or maim bad guys, clean the house, guard your favorite person, walk your dog, or even take out the trash.

He'd traveled to all the corners of Remnant (including Valt, luckily he didn't meet his folks there).

Combine that with a knack for leaving people who attempted to rat him out to the authorities for his less scrupulous activities dead or in prison, and he was solid.

It helped that nobody recognized him as the _late_ Jaune Arc. Thank Oum (cause' he sure as hell wasn't thanking Mundus) for white hair, new muscles, and new clothes.

It also probably helped that he didn't use the Arc name, settling instead for the name of Vergil's late family, Redgrave.

As for his shop, it was fairly simple. A double door, a pool table to the left as one walks in with a jukebox to the right, and a desk straight across from the entrance. Up the stairs to the left lied both the main and guest bedrooms, as well as the bathrooms and kitchen.

And to top it all off, it had only been trashed by thugs twice before they learned their lesson.

All in all, Dante loved his home/shop.

But there was only one place he loved more than his home, and that place . . . was Junior's.

* * *

Junior's was a fairly strange place, if he had to describe the atmosphere.

Admittedly, with the old-fashioned goons hanging out in the corners, the cafe-like atmosphere of the front of the club was kinda put on hold, but if you visit often (like he did), you get used to it pretty fast.

It helped that he liked the owner of the bar, and the ladies he worked with.

Seating himself at the bar, he greeted Junior.

"Heya, Junior. How's it _hanging_?"

The glare he got for his pun was well worth it. Not everyday you walk into a club and see a beautiful blonde squeezing the owners nut sack hard enough to hurt.

The look of astonishment he got from the blonde just made the comment even more worth it.

"At any rate, any particular reason you're getting some action right in the middle of the club?" Dante asked.

Seeing that Junior was a little tied up at the moment and wouldn't be giving him any answers, his gaze shifted to the blonde bombshell.

Only to see her eyes drift to his chest, so, naturally, he let out a whistle to get her attention.

"My eyes are up here, pretty lady." He reminded her.

Dante enjoyed being ogled by a pretty woman as much as the next guy (why else would he bother wearing form fitting clothes?), but he wanted an answer to his question.

"Hmm? Oh, just grilling Junior for some information about someone I'm looking for." She replied, a smile lighting up her face.

Had he mentioned that she was beautiful? Because she was, just in case he hadn't mentioned it.

"Tell you what, you show his balls some mercy, and I'll help you out. Deal?" He said.

She gained a thoughtful look, then, with a nod:

"Deal."

Patting the stool next to his, she quickly obliged, letting Junior's little Xiongs go free.

Junior immediately backed up against the shelf after his _release_ , and sent Dante a grateful look.

Dante just raised an eyebrow at him.

Getting the message, Junior began working on making one of Dante's favorite treats.

Turning back to the girl, he asked the million lien question.

"So, who you looking for, beautiful?"

Here, she pulled a picture out from between her breasts ( _classy!_ ), and presented it to him.

"My name's Yang, and _this_ ," she said, moving the photo closer to his face, "is the person I'm searching for."

"Dante Redgrave." He replied. The person in question was a black-haired woman with red eyes. She looked beautiful, and he knew from experience that beauty was more than photo deep. "I believe I've met the person you're searching for, though I don't think she's your type, Yellow." He quipped.

Ignoring said quip, she quickly got up in his face. "Where?"

Ignoring her proximity (god, but he hated being professional sometimes), he answered.

"It was on a job a few years back. Raven Branwen was her name, beautiful woman with a little bit of a mysterious aura going on, but _man_ , was she was ruthless." He failed to mention how well they had gotten along and/or how much he had flirted with her. Oops?

Noticing the way Yang's eyes lit up at the name, he continued.

"It was supposed to be a simple job, go into an enemy base, disable said base, let the girl get what she wanted, leave. Originally, I was just gonna knock them all out, nothing to be gained in killing those people, I figured, but she-did I mention she was a client of my client?-had different plans. Things went to shit when we got caught and she immediately started slicing people into little, meaty pieces. Judging by her handiwork, she wasn't overly used to killing people, not to say she hadn't done it before, but if I had to take a guess, she was probably trained as a Huntress. Didn't make her work any less bloody though, that's for sure. We were the only two I know of who made it out of that base alive. To this day, all I ever figured out was that she found what she was looking for. Don't know what it was, but I get the feeling that it was important to her."

Looking at how her eyes had darkened, he continued.

"The man we were working for disappeared after paying me. Some man named Rowan Torwick, or something like that. Never had much of a memory for the names of non-repeat clients. Better that way. Hope that helps, Yellow."

Dante made sure to take quick note of how Junior's eyes darkened at the name of Ronan whats-his-face. _Someone he knows?_

After he finished his story, Yang let out a shuddering sigh, before leaning against the counter."It's good to know that she's probably still alive, at least. At least, I think thats good." Shaking her head, she returned her gaze to his face. "Thanks for your help, Dante."

At this, she got up, and walked away, leaving the club.

Junior then put his patented (maybe not, but it should be) strawberry sundae, complete with spoon, in front of Dante.

"This one's on the house for getting her out of here." It was left unsaid why getting her out of the club was a good thing.

Dante went ahead and slid him some lien anyways. Wasn't like he was in debt. **_(1)_**

Lien which Junior immediately took. He was a greedy bastard, and wasn't afraid to show it.

Looking away from his sundae when he heard footsteps, he wasn't overly surprised by what he saw.

Namely, two beautiful women.

"You always were a sucker for a pretty face, Dante." Stated Melanie, sliding in on his right.

"I like to think he just has a heart of gold, sister." Countered Miltia, sliding in on his left.

"Girls." He greeted, giving them a genuine smile. He actually considered these girls to be friends, in a way. He had thought about trying to date them, but wasn't quite sure how they would take it or where it would lead, so in the end, he had never bothered trying. Which, actually described his love life pretty well, now that he thought about it.

"So how's it been going?" He asked.

"Slow." Replied Melanie.

"It's been real quiet here, what with you roaming the streets and all. Yellow showing up had been the most exciting thing to happen in weeks. Almost a shame you got rid of her." At this, she turned to give him a thankful smile. "Thanks for saving our boss, though."

Jaune gave her one of his best charming smiles, the one he knew she liked.

"No thanks required, losing my source of strawberry sundaes would have been bad for my health." He quipped.

He then turned back to Junior.

"Anything new to pass my way?" He asked.

Junior gave him a thoughtful look, then nodded.

"There is something, yes."

Reaching under the counter, he grabbed a folder and showed it to him.

"It's above board, so you can keep the folder." He said, handing it to Dante.

Dante immediately took advantage of the opening.

"How is it above board when it was just below your counter?" He asked, doing his best to pull off a look of innocent confusion.

Ignoring the glare Junior gave him, he decided he shouldn't press his luck any further, and looked down at the folder in question.

Opening it, he was surprised by what he saw.

A request for him by name.

"Glynda Goodwitch herself dropped this off. Something about wanting you around to guard one Pyrrha Nikos, as well as the headmaster, Ozpin." He stated quietly.

"All you need to do is accept the contract, call her up, and she can get you enrolled tomorrow."

Getting paid to go to Beacon to become a Huntsmen? And all he had to do was guard two people who were probably combat capable? Easy enough.

Listening to his Semblance, he saw it agreed. Huntsmen usually had a fair amount of aura to feed off of, after all. Just what a growing Devil needed.

He grinned.

"Sounds like a date. I'll call her on my scroll tonight."

Judging by the shocked looks on the faces of the sisters to his sides, he had a fairly good guess as to what had happened.

"You lost a bet, didn't you?"

Judging by the victorious grin on Junior's face, he was spot on.

Thinking about what Beacon may have held in store for his future, he found he had only one thought of importance.

 _This party's gonna get crazy!_

* * *

(1) Dante-Jaune is not only more open minded than Just Dante about what jobs he'll accept, he's also smarter with his money. Who knew growing up in the wilds and becoming a mercenary could lead to a relatively well-adjusted adult? The fact that his Semblance if half-sentient probably helps too.


	4. A Beacon

Jackpot.

* * *

"A Beacon."

Beacon. An academy that trained prospective Huntsmen and Huntresses to perfection, or something like that. To think, years ago, his parents would have wanted him to go.

Dante supposed they'd be happy, if they knew. Then again, considering he hadn't talked to them since he was _six-years-old_ , maybe not.

Flying on a bullhead was a good way to travel, all things considered, though that didn't stop Dante from hating it.

It always drove his Semblance _nuts_. He wasn't at all in control here, as his Semblance was all too happy to remind him. Constantly. Every single second he spent on a bullhead.

And while Dante himself may have found that lack of control fun under normal circumstances, his Semblance sure as hell didn't, and made absolutely sure that he didn't either.

How come _he_ was the one stuck with the sentient Semblance? It really freakin' sucked sometimes.

He was just glad Yang, who he had spotted earlier, hadn't noticed him yet. That would be awkward, what with his semblance drivin' him up the wall and all.

Glynda Hologram Goodwitch was saying something in the background, but he wasn't listening. He had a job, after all, and he already had all the details of what it entailed. More or less.

He wasn't entirely sure _why_ they wanted _him_ to protect two individuals who were seemingly perfectly capable of protecting themselves, but whatever. He was basically indestructible, and he wasn't being paid to ask questions. Not yet, at least.

"Arriving at: Beacon Academy. Prepare for landing." Intoned the robotic voice of the ships' VI.

 _Thank god._

Suffice to say, he was off the ship in seconds.

Upon getting off the ship, he immediately took some time to take in his surroundings, and get used to being back on land.

The first thing he noticed was the most obvious.

Beacon was _huge_.

God, but was he gonna get _so_ lost. It was a good thing he had an okay memory for directions to go along with the map on his scroll, or he'd be _fucked_.

And then he heard an explosion.

 _Fire dust, huh? Sparring, maybe? or was it an accident?_

Looking towards where he heard the explosion, he saw a white haired individual stomping off- _A Schnee, maybe? They pay good money_ -and a black-and-red haired girl sitting flat on her ass.

Seeing no one else seemed to want to help her, he made his way over.

"Now what's a little damsel like you doing in a big place like this? Name's Dante." He said, offering her a hand. A hand which she gratefully took.

"O-Oh, uh, Ruby, Ruby Rose." She replied. Then she spotted his chest, and proceeded to imitate a bright red firework.

"Eyes up here, darling." Man, but he had to remind people of that fairly often. _Seriously? At this point, should I just take off my shirt? Eh, probably wouldn't make any difference._

"S-Sorry!" She squeaked, turning her head away, still entirely red-faced. Man, but she was adorable. The Grimm would die in droves from sheer cuteness overload.

"It's fine, from a girl as pretty as you, it's more of a compliment than anything else. Care to walk with me to the auditorium, little damsel?" He asked.

Getting over her embarrassment, she agreed.

She also made a pointed effort to only look at his eyes or at the ground. Honestly, she was acting like a kicked puppy. He was actually starting to feel bad.

"So, what happened earlier?" He asked.

She quickly averted her gaze. Again.

"Would you believe I tripped and fell?"

Giving her a look like he was considering her abilities, he nodded.

"Seems likely enough, I'd believe it." He said, nodding.

She quickly turned beet red (again, it was a miracle she hadn't passed out from the blood moving around her body so quickly) when she realized that he had actually said yes to her hypothetical question.

"H-Hey!" The indignation was clear in her voice.

He just laughed.

She pouted for a little while, then, looking for another topic of conversation, noticed the only weapons he actually had on his person. Namely, what appeared to be modified M1911's, a classic. Weapons which, she noted, appeared to be modified for dual wielding.

She quickly pursued that line of thought.

"So," she started, gaining his attention, "this is my weapon, Crescent Rose."

She quickly transformed it from its' inactive form into a scythe.

"It can also transform into a high-caliber sniper rifle. I made her myself back at Signal, so she's basically my baby." She said, hugging the scythe to her chest. Or trying to, anyways. It was rather difficult considering the sniper-scythe was twice her size.

 _Heh. What a cutie._

"Does she use Dust rounds?" He asked.

"Of course, what else would she use?" She replied, looking curious.

"Ballistic rounds." He said simply.

The look she gave him said that she believed he was off his rocker.

"What? They work fine." He defended.

She gave him a doubtful look.

"Didn't the weapons that used ballistic rounds have a tendency to malfunction around aura?" She asked.

"Not mine. In fact, I prefer mine to Dust rounds." He said with a grin.

"Really?" She asked, almost looking like she wanted to reach out and grab his guns. He had kinda figured she was a weapons nut, but man, he hadn't known how right he was.

Not that he minded. He could dig a girl with an appreciation for the finer things in life.

"Yup. They pack more of a wallop, and when charged with aura, they tend to explode on impact. Great for if a party starts getting rowdy. Not to mention that they're easy to make, since the materials are so cheap. It probably helps that people think gunpowder is just about worthless compared to Dust."

"Wow." She said, looking awed.

Then he pulled out his pistols with a flourish, and her awe turned into excitement.

"Ruby, meet Ebony and Ivory. Girls, meet Ruby." He introduced them.

She squealed.

After all, it wasn't every day she met someone who could appreciate her love for weapons.

* * *

Reaching the auditorium, he was quickly met by a familiar sight.

"Yang! Why the heck did you leave me behind?!" Ruby said, quickly dashing into said familiar sight, with Dante following at a slower pace.

Yang just chuckled, putting her sister in a headlock and rustling poor Ruby's hair.

"Well, if it isn't Bright and Yellow. Fancy meeting you here." Dante greeted.

Looking up, her face widened in surprised, if seemingly happy, recognition.

"Dante? What are you doing here?" She asked, releasing Ruby from her headlock. Ruby immediately darted behind his back.

"Training for my new day job. You know the Little Reaper?" He replied, gesturing to the girl who was now holding onto him like he was a lifeline.

While Ruby blushed at the new nick-name, Yang just smiled. "Of course! She's my adorable little sister." She said, giving said little sister a teasing glance when she poked her head out from behind his back. He could just about feel Ruby pouting.

"Oh?" He said, looking between them, before nodding.

"Well, I can definitely see the adorable part." He replied.

While Ruby blushed even brighter at what she interpreted to be a compliment, Yang gave him a teasing smile, though he noticed it had a bit of an edge.

"You realize Ruby's only fifteen, right?"

He shrugged.

"So? I'm only sixteen myself."

Judging by the shocked look on Yang and Ruby's faces, it was something of a surprise.

"You? Sixteen? What the hell do you eat?" The shock on Yang's face was palpable.

"Pizza and strawberry sundaes, mostly." He replied honestly, giving another shrug.

Yang's face went pale.

"What are you?" She asked. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was turning green with envy.

Not that he could blame her. Even he had to stop to give himself a second glance every once in a while.

"A devil wearing human skin." He replied. Honesty is always the best policy.

She just gave him a blank glare for his efforts.

Especially when the truth is harder to believe than any fiction.

"You!"

At the shrill voice, Ruby quickly tried to merge into Dante's back.

"It's happening again!" She squeaked.

Turning to the source of the voice, he spotted what could only be a Schnee. Self-righteous, white-haired, and all around beautiful. _She bears a remarkable resemblance to Winter. This must be her little sister, Weiss. **(1)**_

Said Schnee proceeded to stuff a pamphlet into Ruby's hands, give her a quick lecture on Dust, and then promptly turned around, presumably to walk off.

Dante circumvented that by putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Woah, there, Snow Angel, I'm sure that, whatever she did, it was on accident."

She quickly turned around to reprimand him, only to be interrupted a certain something.

Namely, how he was lacking a shirt, after disposing of the one he had been wearing sometime earlier.

Her face quickly turned bright-red.

And here Dante had thought _he_ had issues keeping his eyes where they belonged.

"Y'know, I like being ogled as much as the next guy, but weren't we in the middle of something?"

Shaking her head to regain her bearings, she quickly complied.

"Y-Yes, of course. Where was I?" She asked.

At least she's cute when she's flustered.

 _Is that the sound of Ruby giggling? That girl is too adorable for her own good._

Before they could continue their conversation, however, they were interrupted by a voice. Namely, the voice of the headmaster.

Turning to look at him, everybody seemed to be listening to whatever speech his was giving intently. Everyone besides Dante, who was too busy trying to work out some kinks in his neck to bother listening.

After more or less succeeding in his efforts, he took a look at the man he was supposed to be protecting.

 _So this is the man I'm supposed to protect, huh? Goodie, goodie._

Looking to the man's right, he spotted Glynda, and gave her a quick nod and a charming smile, of which she returned the nod, albeit reluctantly. The slight blush on her face was telling.

 _Man, but my muscles really do work magic._

* * *

After his speech, Ozpin retreated to god knows where, with Glynda in hot pursuit, leaving the students to settle for the night.

Dante quickly took the time to clean up a bit. He was sure the girls-and some of the guys-would appreciate his 'pajamas'.

Walking back into the ballroom, he wasn't disappointed.

All but a few of the girls were looking at him, and even some of the guys. Though, most of the guys seemed to just be green with envy.

He couldn't blame them. With nothing but his pants on to protect his decency, he looked absolutely fabulous.

Hey, it was hard to look this good. May as well flaunt it since he had it, right?

His very important thoughts were interrupted by the teasing tone of a familiar voice.

"Wow, Dante, didn't realize you were an exhibitionist."

Turning to see Yang, he gave her his best charming smile, stretching out his arms above his head to give her a better view.

"Yeah, I've heard its' something of a niche hobby. As for you," he said, quickly appraising her, "I didn't realize a girl as beautiful as you could get any prettier, but your pajamas tell a different story." He replied.

"Yeah, yeah." She waved his compliment off, though judging by the slight blush on her face, she was anything but unhappy with the compliment. Or maybe it was the view?

Looking at Ruby, he noticed that he could see her face reaching whole new levels of heat, with steam coming out of her ears.

"You alright there, Damsel? I don't think the Little Dragon," said Dragon blushed at the nickname, "would forgive me if I accidentally blew out her sister's brains, even if it was completely unavoidable thanks to my stunning good looks." He quipped.

He knew he got through when she started stuttering like some love-sick school girl.

Oh, wait. She was a school-girl. Though, she probably wasn't love sick. Probably.

Judging by the glare Yang was giving him, he wouldn't like it if she was.

Ignoring the looks he was still getting from his prospective classmates, he decided to see if he couldn't find someone else to introduce himself to. Someone a bit less driven by their hormones, perhaps. Ah, who was he kidding, he was surrounded by teenagers.

Then he spotted her.

Black hair, black bow, stunning amber eyes, and best of all, she hadn't even noticed him. Quiet _and_ beautiful?

She was (the) perfect (target).

He was beat to the punch by Ruby though.

"Hey, that's the girl that helped me after I blew up." Ruby said, after noticing where he was looking.

Yang immediately hopped on board this particular bandwagon.

"In that case, let's go say hi. I should thank the person who helped my sister, and you could do with some more friends, Rubes." Yang said, grabbing her sister in a headlock.

Before Ruby could voice any complaints, Dante spoke up.

"Strangers _are_ just friends you haven't met yet." He recited, remembering his mother's words.

"Objection!" Ruby cried.

With a quick chop to the head, Yang quickly put the resistance down before it could even begin.

After getting overruled by Yang, he and the blonde bombshell quickly dragged Ruby over to their target.

"Hi!" And there goes Yang.

"Hello." The girl replied.

Looking a bit more closely, he noticed a few things. An occasional twitch in her bow, what seemed to be almost perfect balance despite the fact that she was sitting, and the vague smells of fur and fish. His Semblance pinged an agreement with his conclusion.

 _A cat faunus, huh? Cute. It's a shame she seems so . . . haunted._

Now that he thought about it, there were a lot of beautiful girls here. _Is Ozpin a closet perv? Or does it have something to do with Aura?_

Turning his attention back to the conversation, he realized that Ruby and Yang were getting nowhere fast, and decided to intervene.

"Is that Jekyll and Hyde? A fan of the classics, eh?"

After the girl gave him a surprised look ( _just because I don't like shirts doesn't mean I don't like the classics, y'know!_ ), he introduced himself.

"The name's Dante, collector of bottle caps and a fan of said classics."

Ignoring the odd look he was getting from his companions, she gave him a small smile.

"Blake. Blake Belladona. I don't have any weird hobbies." She replied.

Naturally, he objected.

"Hey! Bottle cap collecting isn't weird! It's just a niche market!" He said.

Her slight scoff and the giggling he heard behind him were also adorable. _Seriously, what the fuck, Ozpin?_

At least Blake seemed to be enjoying his muscles more discretely. Something he could appreciate.

Then a person whom he assumed was Weiss had to go and ruin it all.

"Would you quiet down?! People are trying to sleep here."

Letting out a small sigh, he continued.

"Hate to admit it, but she _does_ have a point. It was nice to meetcha, Blake. Sleep tight."

"You too, Dante. See you later."

Returning with Yang and Ruby to their prospective sleeping spot before bidding them farewell to find his own place to sleep, he couldn't help but think about his new job.

 _It's going to be a fun year. Maybe even years._

* * *

(1) Dante met Winter on a past job. He thought they got along well. She probably disagrees.

* * *

Another part of the rewrite done. Also, I was thinking about maybe doing a sidestory with some of Dante's past missions. Would anybody be interested in that?


	5. Reunions

"Reunions."

Dante really envied people who could sleep in late.

After years of living his particular lifestyle, he was hard pressed to wake up after 6:00.

Don't get him wrong, he wouldn't trade his life for anything. Freedom, money, a license to kick ass, and the ability to eat pizza whenever he liked.

He simply wasn't a morning person.

Judging by the look on the face of the person just across from Ebony's barrel, she was wishing he was a morning person.

 _Vio, huh? Didn't quite expect to meet an Arc so soon, but judging by the look she's giving me, she doesn't recognize me. Man, but that's kinda boring._

Though in this case, boring was probably good.

Vio had changed only a little since the last time he had seen her. She still had her silky, violet hair, soft features, and fox ears (what the hell is up with the Arc family genes, anyway?), though her figure had changed into something resembling that of a grown woman's. She looked like, well, a miniature version of their mom, Violetta (poor Vio, being born to their parents). In other words, she looked regal, like some form of nobility. As she should have been 18 at this point, she was probably a second-year.

". . . Why the hell is there a princess at the opposite end of Ebony?" He asked.

Upon hearing his voice, Vio acted out in a way only she could.

She quickly swatted Ebony away.

 _As spicy as ever, eh, Vio?_

"I _was_ trying to wake you up. You seemed like you were having a nightmare." She said, striking her best 'I am princess, bow to me' pose. Which was actually pretty damn good.

 _Geez, you've only changed for the 'better' since I've been away, now, haven't you?_

He gave her an incredulous look.

"But I was having the nicest dream! I was _this_ close to the biggest payday I've ever had, dammit!" He said, making sure to add extra emphasis with his fingers.

It was her turn to look at him like he had grown a second head.

"What the hell sort of job were you working on that you would move around that much in your sleep?" She asked, sounding legitimately curious.

Naturally, he gave her an honest reply.

"Mercenary work. What the hell else would I have been dreaming of?"

Judging by the widening of her eyes, that wasn't the answer she was expecting.

The look of shock was quickly replaced by a well-hidden glare. If it weren't for his experience working with women, he would never have known. Apparently, honesty was the wrong approach.

 _What, does she have something against mercenaries?_

"Your name wouldn't happen to be _Dante Redgrave_ , would it?"

 _. . . Or maybe it's just me._

He gave her a bright smile.

 _Fake it 'till you make it, Dante._

"That _is_ my name, Princess, and _you_ , are welcome to use it as much as you like."

He made sure to give her his most charming smile.

Evidently, it didn't work, as he could have _sworn_ he saw her face shape into a sneer for a second before it regained her previous state of well-hidden glaring.

Dante was really starting to get a bad feeling about this. And as a nearly-indestructible being, feelings like those were rare. And _always_ dangerous.

She scoffed, before looking away.

"I see. We will meet again, Dante."

And with that, she walked off, leaving him scratching his head.

"Hey," he called after her, "you didn't even give me your name!"

She just kept right on walking.

 _A taste for the dramatic, huh? Suppose I can't blame her._

Taking a look around, he saw only a few empty bedrolls, with Ruby and Yang both sleeping peacefully, cuddling.

Making sure to take a picture of them on his scroll for later use (bribery), he quickly decided on a course of action.

 _I probably won't need the locker, but I suppose there's no harm in taking a look at it._

And with that thought, he was off.

* * *

Beacon, while very large, was surprisingly easy to get around, especially if you had a map. Which he did.

Which is why he wasn't too overly surprised when he found his locker a few minutes after he began walking.

Admittedly, he _was_ kinda surprised to see his other charge- _Pyrrha, was it?_ -standing in front of it, chatting with the Snow Angel.

Though, he couldn't help but notice that Pyrrha seemed to want to be anywhere else, but was seemingly too polite to say it.

While protecting her from unwanted conversation _probably_ didn't fall under his purview as her secret bodyguard, he figured there was something to gain by doing so.

Namely, Weiss' embarrassment.

Which is why he immediately broke into the conversation.

"Excuse me, ladies, but you're kind of in front of my locker."

He wasn't surprised when they both turned to look at him.

He still wasn't surprised when they both went red upon seeing his bare chest, which was still missing his shirt _and_ his coat.

He was, however, pleasantly surprised when they both managed to bring themselves to look him in his eyes.

"Yo." He greeted.

Unsurprisingly, Weiss spoke first.

"W-why are you wearing even l-less than when I last saw you?" He was pretty sure she meant to sound scolding, but honestly, all he heard was embarrassment and stuttering.

He merely quirked an eyebrow at her.

"You're pretty lucky I'm wearing anything at all, Snow Angel, considering I usually sleep in the nude." Not entirely true-he almost always slept with his pants on, even if he wore nothing else-but it was worth bending the truth a little bit in this case, just to see her reaction.

She didn't disappoint.

She immediately began stammering.

"A-Are you serious!? W-What are you, a savage?"

He gave her a wink and his best charming smile.

"Just for you, Snow Angel."

She gave him a shocked and disgusted glance, her mouth gaping like a fish, before she slammed it shut with an audible _clack,_ immediately turning and walking away, steam coming out of her ears all the while.

Totally worth the effort.

 _Her and Ruby are surprisingly similar, at least in the severity of their reactions._

Turning his gaze back to the spartan, he noticed something interesting (adorable).

She was holding her hands in front of her eyes, with her fingers held apart so she could peek at his chest. Naturally, she was blushing.

He whistled.

"Hey, my eyes are up here." Honestly, this was starting to get old. Normally, Dante would have been all for it, if he didn't have to, you know, _talk_ to people. Which he did.

She immediately returned her gaze to his eyes before bowing and stammering out an apology.

"It's fine," he assured her, "I don't mind you looking, as long as you keep it on the down low. Capiche?"

She blushed at the insinuation, but he noticed that she gave a very, _very_ light nod. Groovy.

"So, Miss Amazon," he began, "My name's Dante. What's yours?"

He noticed how her eyes widened in slight surprise and what he thought was relief when he asked for her name, at least, after she got over the nickname, anyway. _Is she famous or something? If she was, it would explain why the Snow Angel had been talking to her._

Before he could ponder on it any further, however, she answered his question.

"My name is Pyrrha Nikos. It's a pleasure to meet y-you." A shame. She almost got through her entire introduction without returning her gaze to his six-pack. Oh well.

"Pyrrha, huh?" He nodded like one would when hearing a sound they like, which he had. "I like it. It's got a nice exotic ring to it." Focusing his gaze on her eyes, he gave her yet another of his best charming smiles. Geez, he was giving them out like candy.

"It suits you." He said.

Somehow, she managed to blush even brighter.

"Thank you." It was quiet, but he managed to hear it.

"Any time, Pyrrha. Now, if I may access my locker?"

At first, she looked confused, but then realization flashed across her face as she moved to the side, stammering out an apology.

"S-Sorry!" She squeaked.

"Geez, anybody ever told you that you apologize too much? It's fine, _relax_." He said, doing his best to hold back a chuckle.

He saw her take a deep breath, clearing some of the red from her face, before she nodded. A disciplined girl, huh? He could get behind that.

Turning to face his locker, he dialed in his code and opened it up.

And found . . . that it was an entirely normal locker, with nothing in it. Shocking.

Scratching his head, he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever actually use it. His Semblance served his storage needs far better than a locker ever would or could.

Maybe he could use it if he found something his Semblance couldn't store, or perhaps something he didn't _want_ it to store? Food for thought.

Nodding his head, satisfied with his cursory inspection, he closed his locker, and turned to face Pyrrha, who seemed to have been quietly contemplating him.

Then the intercom came on.

"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

After hearing the intercom turn off, he turned to give Pyrrha an excited smile.

"That's our cue." He said, beginning to move.

And with three red flashes, he had both his shirt, shoes, and coat back on in seconds, though he was still missing his gloves, all while pulling up his scroll's map. Damn, but he made it look _easy_.

When he didn't hear any footsteps following him, he turned to look back at Pyrrha.

She was standing there looking at him with a slightly dazed expression.

He merely quirked a brow at her reaction.

"You coming or what?"

* * *

Luckily, they made it to the cliff in record time.

He could still feel Pyrrha's contemplating gaze on the back of his head as he walked, but he ignored it. After all, if his plan succeeded, he would have plenty of time to ease the reason for it out of her.

His plan was quite simple, really, maybe even foolproof. He would become Pyrrha's partner. After all, since it wasn't unexpected for partners to spend most, if not all, of their time together, it would make following her around _so_ much simpler.

He could _probably_ pull off the stealthy stalker routine if it was required, but he'd really rather not.

Approaching the cliff, he took stock of the situation. Suffice to say, Daddy liked what he saw.

 _Launch pads, huh? Looks like I might get to show off after all._

Stopping before reaching one of said launch pads, he turned back to Pyrrha.

"Ladies first." He said simply, extending his hands towards the launch pads.

He made sure to smile brightly at the pout she gave him as she walked past. _Looks like she knows what's going on_.

Stepping onto the pad after hers, which placed them on the first and second launch pads respectively, he made small talk with Pyrrha, mostly about her likes and dislikes, to pass the time while waiting for the rest of the students to make their ways to the launch pads.

After they all finished filtering in, Ozpin spoke up.

"For years, you have trained to be warriors ( _does mercenary work count as training?_ ), and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest."

After Ozpin finished speaking, Glynda took his place. Dante made sure to give her a saucy wink and a charming smile. A wink which, besides the slight blush on her face, she promptly ignored. He also made sure to ignore the questioning look Pyrrha gave him. That was a conversation for another time.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. . . _today_."

At hearing a quit 'ohh', Dante turned to look further down the line of launch pads, to see that the source of said moan was none other than Ruby Rose, the damsel who was most definitely in distress.

Yeah, she really wasn't doing much to shake off that title.

Leaning forward so she could see him (not that she couldn't already, what with his height and all), he gave her his best encouraging smile and a little wave.

After seeing her return the wave, if with far less cheer than his own had had going for it, he turned back to Ozpin, who he saw was giving him an appraising look.

He merely raised an eyebrow.

And then Ozpin began speaking, looking at him all the while.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

The guy was obviously hinting that he should partner up with Pyrrha. _Dude, I'm not stupid, I got this_.

Despite the adorable whimper Dante heard (damnit, Ruby), Ozpin continued.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

Dante didn't even need to look to know where the sound of broken glass had come from. Poor Ruby.

Dante made sure to make a mental note that Ozpin liked to kick poor, defenseless little puppies. No, Dante most definitely wasn't biased towards cute girls over old men. Not at all.

. . .

Okay, maybe a little bit.

Ozpin continued, seemingly unaware of the rising resistance brewing right under his nose.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will _die_."

Dante couldn't help but let out a whistle. _This guy sounds serious. Looks like things are finally becoming a bit more interesting_.

Looking towards said northern end, Dante took note of a temple. Probably where they were supposed to go.

Ozpin continued his little tirade, oblivious to the internal musings of his students.

"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will reguard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?"

Naturally, Dante opened his mouth.

"Yeah, when are we actually going to start? I'm falling asleep over here."

Naturally, Ozpin ignored him.

" _Good!_ Now, take your positions."

Dante simply crouched low on the pad, and watched as Pyrrha was launched, taking note of her trajectory, before he was launched after her.

At which point, he promptly snapped his fingers, partially activating Quicksilver. Why had Vergil named it that anyways?

Now, moving on, let's explain a few things about Dante's Semblance before we continue, shall we?

His Semblance-Dante had dubbed it Hunger-basically ate things and stored them in his soul. What happened to said things afterwards depended on what the things in question were.

With things like Rebellion, his clothes, and his other weapons, plus whatever else he told his Semblance not to digest, they were simply stored and could be brought out with an effort of will.

For anything else, they were absorbed or spat back out. While his Semblance rarely spat anything out (the only thing Dante had found that it couldn't store were creatures at full strength, anything else was fair game), it very often absorbed things.

Food, for example, it could absorb and break down, and immediately grant the food item's stored energy to Dante. Not as enjoyable as actually eating, but useful in a pinch. The same thing happened to the creatures that his Semblance could successfully digest, which Dante found kinda gross.

Just about everything else, however, fell under the category of what Dante liked to call Essence. It actually wasn't a very original name, believe it or not.

You see, for people, their Essence was, unsurprisingly, their Aura and their soul. When Dante 'ate' Aura, it simply filled his own reserves, but when he ate a person's soul, he gained their memories and their Semblance. Admittedly, he had only done this to a few people after Vergil, simply because eating someone's soul-the very essence of who they were-was kind of in a grey area, if not outright evil. Hence the reason he generally saved it for people whom he thought really deserved it.

For animals, he found that consuming their souls actually granted him the ability to speak with its' fellows. So, if he ate the soul of a bear, he could talk to bears, and even friendships or partnerships with said bears. He also did this only once per each animal he found. While being able to gather information and form friendships with animals was too valuable to pass up, the price of the power was pretty gross.

For Grimm, creatures without souls, their Essence was, not too surprisingly, their bodies. Since he didn't have to feel bad about destroying Grimm, he could absorb them as he pleased. A good thing, too, considering that for each Grimm he absorbed, he gained a measure of their strength and experience. It was also another way to find new techniques.

Like the one he was going to use right now, his 'double jump', as it were.

Having partially activated Quicksilver, Vergil's Semblance, his body was still moving at the same speed it would be otherwise, but his mind was on the same page as Quicksilver. Basically, it boosted his processing speed.

Since he was still following Pyrrha's trajectory, it was pretty easy to use his double jump to alter his landing point.

In fact, he did it so well, that he landed literally just behind Pyrhha. Damn, but he was good.

With a snap, he not only alerted Pyrrha to his presence, but ended Quicksilver, returning his perception to normal.

Just in time to watch Pyrrha shift her weapon into a javelin and stop it just before it reached his neck. Groovy.

"Hey, I'm all for a dominant gal, but I'm gonna have to ask that you at least take me on a date first before putting me on your rod." He quipped.

Upon registering his words, Pyrrha immediately retracted her weapon with a bright blush before hastily apologizing.

Dante simply moved forward and grabbed her shoulders while she was in the middle of her apology before he began speaking himself.

"Pyrrha, sweetheart, I'm gonna need you to stop apologizing. Can you do that for me?" Seeing her nod, he gave her a light pat on the cheek. "Good, good."

At this, she looked into his eyes, and then realization spread across her face.

"Good thing we got that out of the way now, considering that we're gonna be partners for the next four years and all." Giving her another pat on her cheek (he definitely wasn't doing it because of how soft her skin was, he was a gentlemen after all), he moved past her before turning back to face her.

"So, partner, you ready to get this show on the road?" He asked, ignoring the twisting in his gut calling her his partner caused.

The memory of his brother still haunted him, even after all these years.

In response to his question, she gave a light nod and a smile.

"Let's."

* * *

Pyrrha wasn't sure what she had been expecting in a partner, but she was pretty sure that Dante wasn't it.

Don't get her wrong, she was quite happy with Dante, all things considered, it was just . . .

He was so _easygoing_. Seriously, it was strange.

Strange how easily he made small talk with her while battling the Grimm, and how easily he complimented her on her beauty (all the while making a point to look at her eyes or face, when most people would be looking at her body), or how easily he could get under her skin, just to see her blush (always while wearing that bright, cocky smirk), and how he managed to look _bored_ while _ripping Grimm in half with his bare hands_.

Yes, all in all, while she wasn't quite sure what she had been expecting in a partner, Dante most definitely wasn't it.

But honestly, she was glad for it.

She had been looking for someone who would look at her as _Pyrrha_ , and not as just _Pyrrha Nikos, the_ _Mistral Champion_ , for a long time. Naturally, a person like that would have to be a little outside the box.

And now, she had finally found them, finally found _him_.

Thinking about what her future at Beacon held for her, she couldn't help the small smile that came to her face as she looked at Dante.

 _It's going to be a good four years._

* * *

Dante had to admit, he was a little disappointed with how things were going so far.

That wasn't to say he wasn't happy with his plans success, far from it. Not only had gotten into a partnership with his charge, Pyrrha was proving to be a joy to be around.

He was just disappointed by the quality and quantity of the Grimm they were facing.

Seriously, he hadn't even bothered pulling out Rebellion yet. His bare hands were proving to be more than adequate in tearing apart the Beowolves they encountered. Literally. He had never torn a Grimm in half with his bare hands before this, and now it was already getting old.

And with Pyrrha backing him up, the Grimm weren't just killed, they were _slaughtered_. And despite this, they just kept _coming_.

So yeah, it was boring at best, annoying at worst, for the most part.

But hey, like he said, Pyrrha was a fun person to be around. She provided intelligent conversation whenever there was a lull in the combat (which was often) and she often blushed (which was cute as hell) whenever he complimented her grace or beauty, which were things she had in spades, by the way. Though, he noticed she didn't seem overly enthused the few times he complimented her skills. She either didn't believe he was being honest, or already received compliments like that in droves, so he just stopped mentioning it.

That didn't stop him from appreciating it when she complimented _his_ skills, however.

Since Dante had made sure to memorize the general direction of ruins they were seemingly supposed to go to, they were making good time.

So he wasn't surprised when they reached the clearing outside the temple.

What he _was_ surprised by was that they weren't the first people there. Luckily, the people who got there before them were people he recognized.

"Yo, Yang, Blake!" Dante called, giving them a wave as he and Pyrrha walked out of the forest.

Turning to see the source of the voice, Blake nodded at him while Yang rushed over to say hello.

Raising his hand for a high-five, she happily complied, jumping up to reach his hand. He noted that she had a fair amount of strength behind those hands.

Meanwhile, Blake walked over at her own pace, and quietly introduced herself to Pyrrha, who was looking a bit lost.

Seeing that Blake had Pyrrha covered, he turned his gaze back to the blonde bombshell.

"So, Yang, what's shaking?" He asked.

"Not much, the relics are just sitting in the temple, though we haven't bothered to grab one yet. I was kinda surprised honestly, I was thinking there would be a big boss or something, but nope. Nothing but an old temple." She said, crossing her arms under her chest with a pout, turning her head to watch Blake and Pyrrha's conversation.

Dante nodded.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. All me and Pyrrha encountered on the way here were lowly Beowolves. Didn't even make for a good warmup, honestly."

Looking back to him, thinking he was simply grandstanding to try and impress her, she was surprised to find that he looked serious. In fact, he looked downright _bored_.

Before she could comment, however, things immediately moved into motion.

For one, they all heard the screaming.

Looking up, he spotted the source. Namely, one currently-wishing-she-could-fly Ruby Rose, who seemed to have fallen face-first from a Giant Nevermore.

Naturally, he just leaped and caught her midair, bridal style.

Landing, he couldn't help but speak.

"Miss me, Little Damsel?" Chuckling at the embarrassed blush that spread across her face, he looked up when he heard yet more screaming, this time spotting a little Snow Angel.

Gently setting Ruby down on her feet, he quickly burst into a sprint, catching her in a slide (just like the movies, woot!), before said slide came to a halt.

Of course, he made sure to give her a fitting pick-up line.

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven, Snow Angel?"

It may have been cheesy, but judging by the blush that appeared on her face, it worked. Hearing movement in the forest, he sat up before gently setting Weiss back on her feet.

Looking towards the source, he wasn't disappointed.

Seeing an Ursa Major stumble into view wasn't too surprising, considering all the noise it had been making.

What was surprising was when it crumbled, making the girl who had been riding it give a cry of despair. "Sir Grimms-a-lot, nooooo!" She despaired.

Shortly afterwards, a boy-presumably the girl's partner-came dashing into view, with a Giant Deathstalker showing up a few seconds afterwards, hot on his heels. Grabbing the girl's hand, he dragged her with him into their midst.

Dante wasted no time making introductions.

"Yo, the name's Dante. What your's?"

The boy gave him a look that said something along the lines of 'is this really the right time?' before giving in and replying.

"Lie Ren." He said.

"And I'm Nora! Though, everybody calls him Renny!" She chimed in, giving his arm a tug.

Looking at 'Renny', Dante gave a light nod.

"Renny it is." He agreed, ignoring the look of betrayed shock Ren gave him.

Dante found that said betrayal was worth the smile Nora gave him, however.

Looking over the newcomers, he noted that Ren had what seemed to be bladed dual-SMGs while Nora had a big hammer.

Seeing that, he had a thought.

Looking at the Big Ass Bird still floating above their heads, he formulated his plan.

While he _could_ get up there by himself, it would require him using his wings, which he avoided doing in polite company, _especially_ when he wanted to be friends with the people amongst said company.

So, he decided to brush up on his people-throwing skills.

Turning back to Nora, he addressed her.

"Yo, Nora." Upon seeing that he had her attention, he continued. "Could you break that thing's back if I get you up there?" He said, pointing at the Giant Nevermore with his thumb.

She gave him a bright smile before responding.

"Yep!"

Good enough, he supposed.

Whatever the rest of his party had been expecting, it probably wasn't what he was about to do.

Snapping his fingers to partially activate Quicksilver once again, he grabbed Nora by the wrist.

 _Line up the shot, adjust my angle, calculate the amount of power I need, and . . ._

He quickly span around, dragging Nora through the air at high speeds, before launching her after the Nevermore.

 _Jackpot_.

Flying up just in front of the Nevermore, she landed perfectly on its' back.

"Glad to see my people-throwing skills haven't gotten rusty." He quipped.

Seeing that she had made it safely, he turned his attention to the Giant Deathstalker.

"And that leaves you for me, big guy." He said.

Ignoring the shocked looks the rest of the group were giving him, he quickly summoned Kalina Ann-a rocket launcher with a bayonet he had gotten as a gift from an old friend-before resting Kalina Ann on his shoulder and immediately launching every last one of her rockets towards the Deathstalker.

Suffice to say, there was a pretty big boom, with a lot of left over smoke. One that the Deathstalker was right in the middle of.

Swapping out Kalina Ann for Rebellion with a flourish, he proceeded to casually stroll towards where the Deathstalker had been.

Just in time to casually lean to the left of its' extending stinger as the smoke cleared.

Suffice to say, the Big Bug had seen better days.

With numerous scorch marks and cracks on its' armor (Dante found himself absently wondering if the armor was chitin like it would be for an actual scorpion, or if it was the same bone-like material the rest of the Grimm used), with each crack oozing Grimm blood, the thing looked like it had just barely survived an explosion.

Oh, wait.

Dante wasn't overly surprised it had survived, because while Kalina Ann's salvo was pretty destructive, he had seen Giant Deathstalkers survive worse.

Hence the reason why he made sure Rebellion simply cut through the offending stinger with a quick flick of his hand.

The creature let out a roar of pain, before attempting to grab him with its' pincers.

Pincers which were promptly cut off with two more quick swings of Rebellion.

Letting out another cry of pain, the Deathstalker attempted to charge him head on in a fit of blind rage.

Dante rewarded its' efforts by stabbing it in the face, before quickly pulling Rebellion through the creatures back, effectively bisecting it.

Suffice to say, it was not only horrifically maimed, it was also very dead.

With a flourish, he set Rebellion on his back, feeling as his Aura took hold of it and kept it there.

Before any of his party members could begin to question him, however, they were interrupted by a scream.

Though this one had a noticeably different tone than the other ones had.

"Wooooooo~!" They hear Nora cry.

Yeah, Nora was falling back to Remnant, with the Nevermore trailing behind her.

Unsurprisingly, Dante caught her in another midair leap, landing back on the ground with her in his arms.

Naturally, Nora was giggling like a loon.

After Dante set her back on her feet, she immediately shot her arms into the air in a pose that could only be described as victorious.

"I. Feel. _ALIVE!_ " She screamed, before returning her gaze to Dante.

"We have got to do that again sometime!" She said, with a manic grin on her face.

"Sure thing, Nora. Not right though." Dante replied with a smile, ruffling her hair with his hand.

Ignoring her pout, he quickly looked over the faces of the ones assembled before him.

Weiss was, unsurprisingly, shell shocked, Ruby looked like she was completely enamored with both him and Rebellion, which was still sitting on his back, Yang seemed to be deep in thought, Blake was rubbing her brow with her fingers, with an expression that seemed to ask 'why me', and Ren was looking at him with a look that spoke of nothing but resignation, and maybe a little bit of hope.

Pyrrha was returning from the temple, and, upon seeing that he had finished with the Deathstalker, gave him a smile and a wave with her free hand. The other seemed to be holding a giant, black chest piece. A rook, if he remembered correctly. It had been a while since he had brushed up on the rules.

Returning her smile, he walked towards her.

"That the relic?" He asked, nodding towards the rook.

She nodded, holding out for him to take. Which he did.

"Seems like it. The only thing in there are chest pieces, so that's the conclusion I came to." She explained with a shrug.

A shrug he returned.

"I'll take your word for it, partner. Now that that's settled, we should probably head for the cliff."

Looking back towards Beacon, he notices that there's a bridge heading more or less right for their destination.

Looking around, Dante notices that the others have all grabbed their own relics, one for each pair, and he nods, before turning his gaze back to Pyrrha.

"Well then, I'd say it's about time we wrap this up. Let's head back with the others." He said, before turning to the rest of his party.

"Hey guys!" He said, waving to get their attention. Once he saw that he had it, he gestured to the bridge. "There's a convenient way back over here! Follow the leader!"

And with that, he was off.

* * *

Standing off to the side of the stage, he waited impatiently for Ozpin to finally start calling on the important people.

Absently listening, he heard Ozpin call up the next prospective team.

"Russel Thrush. Cardin Winchester. Dove Bronzewing. Sky Lark. The four of you retrieved the black bishop pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team CRDL, led by. . . Cardin Winchester!"

Jaune barely remembered to clap as the four walked off stage.

"Dante Redgrave. Pyrrha Nikos. Lie Ren. Nora Valkyrie. The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team DLPN (Dolphin)." Continued Ozpin.

Walking up to the stage, Dante had to put a hand in front of his mouth to forcefully stifle his laughter when he heard his team name.

Judging by the guffawing he heard from the audience, some of them didn't even bother trying.

"Led by . . . Dante Redgrave!" Ozpin finished.

"Geh." Was Dante's ever so intelligent response.

And then he immediately walked off stage, not even bothering to stay for the audience's applause.

Naturally, LPN followed their D.

Pyrrha was the first to catch him after he started leaning against a wall at the edge of the auditorium.

"Dante? Are you alright?" She asked. He felt bad when he heard the genuine concern in her voice.

Nora chimed in soon afterwards.

"Yeah, I thought you would like being leader." Even Nora seemed to be a little subdued.

Ren simply sat in the back, quietly watching.

Giving them a light smile, he considered what to say.

After all, he couldn't say that he didn't want to be leader because it would give him less time to stalk Pyrrha and Ozpin, though Pyrrha wasn't really a problem anymore.

But there was something he could say that was relatively in character, even if it was a bit lame.

"Honestly, it feels like Ozpin is clamping down on my freedom." He replied, shaking his head.

Before they could reply, however, they heard Ozpin speak.

"And finally: Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long." Dante noticed Ruby giving him a worried look as she walked onstage. He simply flashed her a reassuring smile. It wasn't the end of the world, after all.

"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY. Led by. . . Ruby Rose!" Ozpin finished.

And at least he wouldn't be suffering alone.

After all, misery loves company.

Moving to congratulate Ruby on their shared misfortune, he couldn't help but smile at the look of shock that remained on her face, even as Yang grabbed her in a headlock.

It really did seem like it was going to be an interesting four years.


End file.
